Do It Yourself - Water Hose Blog

Create a Magical Buzzing Backyard with Hummingbird Nectar

Attracting Them Is Easier Than You Think, So Pull Up a Lawn Chair and Enjoy

What a magical sight to see a tiny hovering hummingbird. Less than 3 inches long, these amazing-but-mighty birds seem more like big bugs. Weighing less than a nickel, their wings beat up to 80 times per second. The flapping creates an audible buzz, thus the “hum” in “hummingbird.” They can’t walk or even hop, yet can fly up to 30 mph. When the ruby-throated hummingbird migrates south twice a year, it makes the 500-mile flight non-stop!

The allure of these mini marvels is practically undeniable, so let’s help you draw them into your world. Start with a feeder, easily found and affordable, that you can hang from a branch or iron garden hook, about five feet off the ground. Next, mix up a batch of sweet food. How to make hummingbird nectar:

Fill your feeder half way, and every three or four days, clean it thoroughly with hot (not soapy) water

Hummingbirds do not live on sugar alone. Consider hanging a small basket of ripe fruit near feeders, to attract the tiny fruit flies and other insects they like to eat. Plant as many nectar-rich, tubular flowers as you can: perennials like columbines, day lilies and foxgloves, and annuals like petunias, impatiens and morning glories.